Gases & Welding Distributor articles from March 2002

Gases & Welding Distributor archives from March 2002

Steel crazy after all these years. (Viewpoint).(Column)
March 1, 2002... Like most others, I am instinctively a proponent of free markets. That means words like protectionism always bring up in me a shudder of resistance. By the same token, I am practical enough to realize that we do not live in an ideal world, and...

Open letter to NWSA members and prospective members. (NWSA (National Welding Supply Organization) Commentary).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2002... Dear NWSA Member and Prospective Members: As a result of the recession and the tragic events of September 11 member participation in NWSA's programs and services has ebbed. I want to take this opportunity GWD has graciously given me to...

Chart Industries, Inc. (The March/ April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Chart Industries, Inc., Cleveland, OH, announced that it sold its DryWash C[O.sub.2] business to Cool Clean Technologies, Inc., based in Minnesota, for an undisclosed amount. Chart's DryWash business built dry cleaning machines, which...

BOC Gases. (The March/April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... BOC Gases, Murray Hill, NJ, has been awarded two multi-year contracts by DuPont Sourcing to supply compressed, industrial, and special gases and a variety of eBusiness services to 20 DuPont locations in the northeastern and southeastern United...

On Site Gas Systems, Inc. (The March/ April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... On Site Gas Systems, Inc., New Britain, CT, has moved to a new facility at 35 Budney Rd., Budney Industrial Park, Newington, CT, 06111. The Food and Drug Administration recently issued approval of the firm's medical portable oxygen generation...

Airgas, Inc. (The March/ April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Airgas, Inc. Radnor, PA, has signed a three-year agreement with Textron Inc. to supply cylinder gases and safety products to more than 100 U.S. locations. Under the agreement, Airgas is the single-source supplier of personal safety products and...

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (The March/April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Air Products and Chemicals, Inc, Allentown, PA, and Japan Metals and Chemicals Company, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, have signed an agreement to pursue a joint development program pertaining to hydrogen storage systems that use metal hydride alloys for...

Genesis Systems Group. (The March/ April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Genesis Systems Group, Davenport, IA, an integrator of robotic welding and cutting systems, was awarded a U.S. Patent on a light-tight seal for use with robotic YAG laser equipment. A light-tight enclosure is needed for YAG lasers to protect...

Praxair Inc. (The March/April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Praxair Inc., Danbury, CT, has recently opened a new demonstration facility for helium recovery technology in Niagara Falls, NY. The facility offers interested parties first-hand operating experience and evaluation of the patented helium...

Air Liquide America. (The March/ April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Air Liquide America, Houston, TX, has sold its Fresno, CA, retail welding location to Melo's Gas & Gear. Melo's is a full-line supplier of hard-goods plus industrial and specialty gases, providing products and services from its three locations...

Miller Electric Mfg. Co. (The March/ April Business Snapshot).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Appleton, WI, has completed its accreditation process for and is now in compliance with the new ISO 9001:2000 standard, which supplants the now obsolete ISO 9001, ISO 9002, and ISO 9003 standards. The company reports...

Web wise. (Business Snapshot).
March 1, 2002... Genstar Technologies, Chino, CA, has upgraded its website, www. genstartech.com, to include more information about the company, its product lines, news, tradeshows, distributor listing, and downloadable literature. Scott Specialty Gases,...

Edison Welding Institute gets Navy contract. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The U.S. Navy has awarded the Edison Welding Institute, Columbus, OH, and a team of leading defense contractors and technology innovators the contract to operate the Navy Joining Center (NJC) for the Navy's Manufacturing Technology Program...

Street rod project ends second year. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A 1931 Ford coupe has been the beneficiary of of an inside-out and top-to-bottom makeover over the last two years thanks to Miller Electric's (Appleton, WI) travelling street rod seminar series. Phase two of the two-year program was recently...

Air Liquide Canada introduces power sources. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Air Liquide Canada, Montreal, Quebec, recently announced the introduction of a line of light industrial welding power sources manufactured for the Canadian market. The company has introduced four MIG welders, three engine-driven welders,...

Scott Specialty Gases wins Leonard Parker Pool Award for 2001. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... At its Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) named Scott Specialty Gases, Plumsteadville, PA, recipient of the prestigious Leonard Parker Pool Safety Award for 2001. The firm also received the safety award in 1989...

Economic optimism sounded. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The results of the December Business Conditions Report, released by the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), reflect a welcome note of optimism. Conducted monthly, the report is an economic indicator for manufacturing sector. Out of a...

Acme Cryogenics. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... ACME CRYOGENICS, Allentown, PA -- Joe Hermann, general manager, Quality Cryogenics Division.

Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC., Allentown, PA -- Bernard Guerini, president, Air Products, Europe; John (Mike) McNallen, vice president, North America Gases.

Genesis Systems Group. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... GENESIS SYSTEMS GROUP, Davenport, IA -- Terry O'Connell, vice president/general manager, Product Business Group.

Jackson Products Inc. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... JACKSON PRODUCTS INC., St. Louis, MO -- Tim Esposito, vice president, Personal Safety Group.

The Lincoln Electric Company. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... THE LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY, Cleveland, OH--Michelle Adams, Silvia Caballero, Tim Cordonnier, Denny Davis, Jonathan Davis, Greg Doria, Kevin Fleming, Regis Geisler, Johnny Harvill, Daniel Hernandez, Kent Johns, Kevin Korabik, Adam Laabs, Brian...

Pembroke Consulting. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... PEMBROKE CONSULTING, Philadelphia, PA -- Mark Dancer, vice president.

Proton Energy Systems. (Industry People).
March 1, 2002... PROTON ENERGY SYSTEMS, Rocky Hill, CT -- Tom Stropes, sales representative; Bob Melusky, director of sales.

Robotic Production Technology. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... ROBOTIC PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, Auburn Hills, MI--Dave DiBiase, sales manager, and Janine Krasicky, marketing manager.

Robotic Workspace Technologies, Inc. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... ROBOTIC WORKSPACE TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Fort Myers, FL--Sheri Aws, manager proposal and contracts administration, Tom Helzerman, president & chief operating officer, Terry Johnson, senior sales manager, and Julie Price, director marketing and...

Specialty Hose Corp. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... SPECIALTY HOSE CORP., North Canton, OH -- H. Lee Helfer, CEO; Michael L. Heifer, president; Dennis Benson, vice president -- retiring.

Watson Coatings, Inc. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... WATSON COATINGS, INC., St. Louis, MO--Dave Hendrickson, sales representative.

W. A. Whitney. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... W. A. WHITNEY, Rockford, IL--Jon Krum, regional sales engineer, David L. White, tooling sales and marketing manager.

Weiler Corporation. (Industry People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... WEILER CORPORATION, Cresco, PA--Jeff Welday, vice president, sales and marketing.

Wells Lamont Corp. (Industry People).(James N. Buckingham)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... WELLS LAMONT CORP., Niles, IL -- James N. Buckingham, director of industrial sales.

Team One Technologies sets sail; undeterred by the dark clouds of a threatening economy, Team One Technologies Inc., a newly launched distributorship based in Romeoville, IL, heads for the open waters of the industrial and specialty gases market. (Defying the Downturn).(Company Profile)
March 1, 2002... Excitement bristles in the air at Team One Technologies, Romeoville, IL. Despite the prevailing winds of the economy the firm, founded January 12, 2001, by president Peter Kenny and vice president of sales Paul Rogers is right on course with...

The future is here; the everbroadening range of lasers has helped them make the leap from the lab to the production floor. (Laser Systems).
March 1, 2002... Although some might consider lasers pretty sophisticated, even futuristic, tools for the shop floor, they have quickly moved from the laboratory environment into prototype facilities, short-run production shops, and most recently, into...

Oak Ridge National Laboratory eliminates cylinder discrepancies with distributor; discrepancies in cylinder count generate friction between the distributor and the customer -- sometimes to the point of severing the relationship. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Knoxville TN, found purchasing its own cylinder tracking system presented a solution. (Cylinder Tracking).(Air Liquide America Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Welding supply distributors can have large customers with hundreds, even thousands of cylinders in use. Although high volume means great revenue, tracking the location and movement of all those cylinders can create customer-related issues. With...

What makes a premium bonded abrasive: numerous abrasive products are available on today's market -- most seem to do the job. Since budget-trimming customers know premium abrasives cost more, distributors must be prepared to explain what accounts for the difference in quality, and improved performance. (Selling Up in Sliding Market).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Several criteria differentiate premium abrasives from the run-of-the-mill regardless of application. Distributors familiar with these criteria will be better equipped to help customers select the right abrasive for maximum productivity. ...

Distributor know-how boosts job shop productivity: preassembled robot welding cells spell relief for customers plagued with shortages of skilled welders. (Robotic Welding).(Pressed Metals Corp. and Pingel Enterprises use Praxair welding robots)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... When Pressed Metals Corporation, a family-owned job shop based Waukesha, WI, needed to expand, president James Atherton and his brother Michael, vice president, faced the same problem as Wayne Pingel, owner of Pingel Enterprises, a motorcycle...

Rethinking the approach to sales; with today's sales force scoring an average age of 35, managers must rethink their approach to guiding these "recession-time rookies." (Recession Management).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Distributors have seen hardgoods sales fall and industrial gas business remained flat as 2001 drew to a close. Many believe this may be the worst business period in 10 years. Although an optimistic January report of Leading Economic...

Acquisition pricing in a soft economy; economic conditions can have little if any impact on middle market transaction prices when a strategic buyer is located. (Selling the Distributorship).
March 1, 2002... Many executives mistakenly believe that external economic conditions significantly impact the timing and pricing of middle market acquisitions -- transactions that range from a couple of million to $200 million. In reality, economic conditions...

U.S. specialty gas demand to grow 7 percent annually through 2005. (Gases Industry Review-Update).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... Demand for specialty gases in the U.S. is forecast to rise seven percent per year to $2.15 billion in 2005, significantly outpacing growth in the economy. Gains will be driven largely by the semiconductor market, where rising semiconductor...

GIR Q&A. (Gases Industry Review-Update).(gas welding equipment advice)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... I have an instrument that has a sensitive detector. I have purchased the highest purity gas available but still have a high noise baseline. The instrument manufacturer assures me that there is nothing wrong with their product. Any suggestions?...

Making the grade in the production of medical gases.
March 1, 2002... Making the grade in the production of medical gases; with nearly a century of experience under their belts, medical gas manufacturers have not experienced any patient injuries directly attributable to the air separation production process. Food...

Gun switch cuts maintenance costs:...Woods Equipment ... (A Matter of Finding the Best Gun to Fit Needs).
March 1, 2002... Woods Equipment Company used the same gas-metal-arc welding (GMAW) guns in its Hubbardston, MA, fabrication shop for years. So, despite being displeased with the performance of these guns, change was slow. In 1999, a move to a new 68,000...

Air Purifier improves air flow for welder. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... ArcOne's NIOSH-approved Powered Air Purifying Respiratory System design provides a lightweight, comfortable, and easy-to-use unit for welders. Motorized, battery operated system blows a constant supply of fresh, filtered air over the face,...

Welding for Doctors. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Computerized precision arc welding equipment can automate the welding of medical devices such as catheter guidewires, orthoscopic cutting tools, surgical baskets, implantable battery devices, and heart valves, among other medical instruments...

Handwheel operated "MC" and "B" Acetylene Valves. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Handwheel to operate "MC" and "B" acetylene valves comes with positive seal bonnet, packless-ring chamber, and ebonite seat to provide a leak-tight seal, longer valve life, and ease of operation. Ceodeux, Inc. Circle 58 www.rotarex.com

Cut metal with Circular Saw. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Metal Cutting Circular Saw cuts steel just like plywood, according to firm. The Evolution 180 saw features 2.25 HP gear driven motor, a chip guard to protect the operator and extend blade life, and an edge guide for long cuts in various...

Grinding disc tests show faster cut rates. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In internal and field tests on weld beads, carbon and stainless steel, cast iron, brass and aluminum, GreenLyte fibre discs achieved 30 to 70 percent better overall life versus competitive ceramic fibre discs. GreenLyte F968 and GreenLyte Plus...

Retrofit DC butt weld control. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Sabre weld controller can replace existing DC butt welding controls when parts and service support is unavailable. Microprocessor provides real-time, closed loop control of the welding platen position and upset force. It commands and monitors...

Improve efficiency with cable reel. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... SWCR arc welding reel can handle a single conductor electrode cable or grounding lead. Current passes through a 400 A rated rotary electrical device for use with any cable length unwound. Heavy-duty spring motor allows for self-contained...

Stem-mounted brushes reach corners. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Concave brushes for cleaning and deburring off-hand or on a drill press feature dished shape to reach corner areas. Come in steel and stainless steel wire ranging from 1 1/2 to 4 in. diameters. Designed for use on high-speed air and electric...

Oxygen purge monitor eliminates guesswork. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Purge monitor measures and indicates oxygen levels down to 0.01 percent (100 ppm). Helps to ensure that welds are bright and shiny and free from coking or oxidation when welding stainless steel. The handheld, battery powered instrument has a...

Power increases to 12 A on 5 and 6 in. grinders. (Products/Literature).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Users of mid-size angle grinders can benefit from an 3.5 A boost in power on 5 in. Model W14-125 Ergo and 6 in. Model W14-150 Ergo grinders. These 8 lb. grinders provide maximum torque of 44 in. lbs., up from 27 in. lbs., and a no-load speed of...

Handle design improves clamp. (Products).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... One inch longer handle with an ergonomic grip makes the Series 207 toggle clamp easier to use. Holding capacities for this clamp series range from 350 to 475 lbs. All other dimensions and specs remain the same. Select solid bar or U-bar and...